The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the biggest arts festival in the world, with nearly 3,500 shows. This year, Playbill is in Edinburgh for the entire month in August for the festival and we’re taking you with us. Follow along as we cover every single aspect of the Fringe, aka our real-life Brigadoon!
At the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, papering is very common. With nearly 3,500 shows available, performers and creators regularly take to the streets to set themselves apart, distributing fliers to their shows and chatting with passersby (many times in costume). The writers and cast of Harry Hill and Steve Brown’s musical, TONY! [The Tony Blair Rock Opera] got in on the fun April 4 when they took to the streets of Edinburgh to festival attendees to check out the show.
A van with a digital screen displaying the show's title, and blasting one of the show’s songs, cruised through the city, with the cast in full costume to greet those passing by.
The musical exploring how the would-be hippie popstar became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 played a limited run on the West End last April ahead of its four week Fringe run beginning August 2. The show will continue to run at the Pentland Theatre through August 27, before touring through the UK, stopping in Derby, Bromley, Eastbourne, and Liverpool.
Blair is a controversial figure in British politics, with TONY! depicting a wide range of figures that featured in his political career, including his wife Cherie Blair, Princess Diana, John Prescott, Peter Mandelson, Alastair Campbell, Osama bin Laden, George W Bush, Saddam Hussein and Gordon Brown. Neither Blair, nor the Tony Blair Institute, nor any individuals depicted within the musical are affiliated with the production, nor do they endorse it.
The production is directed by Peter Rowe, with set and costume design by Libby Watson, lighting design by Mark Dymock, sound design by Richard Brooker, and choreography by Francesca Jaynes. The Park Theatre production is produced in the West End and on tour by Nicholson Green Productions.
For tickets and more information, visit here.
See photos of the cast of TONY!'s trip through the streets of Edinburgh below.
Harry Hill promoting TONY! The Tony Blair Rock Opera on the streets of Edinburgh.
Harry Hill, Steve Brown, and the cast of TONY! The Tony Blair Rock Opera promoting the show's Fringe Festival run on the streets of Edinburgh.
Harry Hill, Steve Brown, and the cast of TONY! The Tony Blair Rock Opera promoting the show's Fringe Festival run on the streets of Edinburgh.
Howard Samuels promoting TONY! The Tony Blair Rock Opera on the streets of Edinburgh.
The "digivan" promoting TONY! The Tony Blair Rock Opera on the streets of Edinburgh.
The "digivan" promoting TONY! The Tony Blair Rock Opera on the streets of Edinburgh.
The cast of TONY! The Tony Blair Rock Opera promoting the show's Fringe Festival run on the streets of Edinburgh.
The cast of TONY! The Tony Blair Rock Opera promoting the show's Fringe Festival run on the streets of Edinburgh.
Phil Sealey promoting TONY! The Tony Blair Rock Opera on the streets of Edinburgh.
Steve Brown and Harry Hill promoting TONY! The Tony Blair Rock Opera on the streets of Edinburgh.
Tori Burgess promoting TONY! The Tony Blair Rock Opera on the streets of Edinburgh.
